U17
Matches
Sun 12 Nov 2017  ·  U17 Division 2
Harrow RFC
U17
20
35
Wasps
Harrow stung by Wasps in 9 try thriller.

Harrow stung by Wasps in 9 try thriller.

Iain Taffs15 Nov 2017 - 10:18
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Wasps take the spoils - but Harrow show improvement and promise.

On a cold and frosty morning , Wasps were the visitors to Grove Field for a league encounter at Under 17 level.
With Harrow welcoming back both Kieran Woodhouse from long term injury, and David Hoxh from long term laziness :-) (although tbf his new boxing physique was ok ) Harrow started the game brightly, and with a Wasps team which had put over 50 points in a friendly encounter a couple ofo weeks previously - there was a sense of they just needed to turn up to win.
How wrong they were - with a changed front row seing Billy come in at hooker, and added to the usual solidity of Micahel Doyle and Cameron Stiles, and with a back 5 welcoming back Henry Jesson from a 17 day hangover, and Kieran Woodhouse also in the mix, and Tom Campbell and Zane Felix strong and secure in the second row,
Harrow were first on the board with adelightful handling move through the backs which saw the freshly tanned Joel Stern glide into the far left hand corner. Tough conversion missed but Harrow 5-0 ahead.
With changes in the back line due to Dan Mcevoys full 80 minutes for the Senior team on Saturday meaning he was unavailable for selection (what happened to playing 3 games in a weekend like the old days !!) Harrow still had the upper hand with Cormac and Michael pulling all the strings at 10 and 12, Alex Gooden and Harry Buckley alternating places at 9, and with Sam Basnett completing the centre partnership, and Alfie and Pav at 14 and 15 Harrow really should have moved the ball wide at every opportunity.
However we dod not stretch the Wasps defence as much as we should have, we often took the ball into contact a little bit more than we needed, and also a bit too narrow. (A learning for future, and to be addressed at training midweek also - note to self).
In response Wasps scored a breakaway try, and althogh David A bulldozed over, after some great close contact by the forwards, Harrow were only 10-7 ahead at the break, despite having a good share of territory, possession, and the elements.
Positive changes at half-time, Callum Posner added some additional strength and grunt in the pack, and althouigh Wasps wetre first to score, harrow were again on the board with another rampaging David H run resulting in another score in the corner, and Harrow were back in fromnt 15-14.
Back came Wasps, who had made some significant changes of their own, with a much bigger and heavier pack and centre partnership, which was thwarted by some excellent Harrow defence, and one try saving tackle by Pavan which had the majority of the 50+ crown on its feet in recognition, post match the remark unstoppable force and immovable object was mentioned, with Pavan coming out on top with the Wasps 8 crashing like a felled oak.
They did however score again soon after to lead 21-15, but again back came Harrow, wave after wave of attack resulted in Michael Doyle ghosting in from 3 yards, although this distance will significantly increase as the season progresses, but he now leads the prop forawrd try scoring charts for the season with one !!
Wasps regrouped, and 2 late converted scores gave a final 35-20 scorelinh which did not reflect the closeness of the game (5 tries to 4).
At times Harrow ere as good if not better than the previous high of Ruislip the weeke before, but still someleemnts to work on.
Knowing when to move the ball wide v another close contact phase, using runners a bit further away from the breakdown to really stretch defences, and maintaining a level of intensity of performance for the full 70 minutes being the key ones for focus ijn the coming weeks.
A massive thank you to all who turned out to support, and help with all the after match activities and admin too, a true club effort as always, and we move forward as a group with the promise of better days to come.
See you all soon.

Match details

Match date

Sun 12 Nov 2017

Kickoff

12:00

Competition

U17 Division 2

League position

3
Wasps
8
Harrow
Team overview
Further reading

Team Sponsors

Pitch Sponsor - Green Thumb
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Youth Team Sponsor - Centre of Dental Excellence
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Youth Team Sponsor - Dave Opticians